Living with them
by BlackSwanSong
Summary: Akari and Chase met in the past, but don't Remember it! Now Akari has to live with all of the bachlores from Waffle Island! Will Chase remember the past before someone else steals her heart? Rated T for language and Violence. Chapter 4 is finally up!
1. Chapter 1 Her Will

This is a new story I'm starting! For those of you who read _Cowboys and Rancher girls_, I hope you like it so far. This is an Akari x Chase story. I hope you like. This is about mostly introductions of the characters in the story.

Enjoy~

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Title: Living with Them

Summary: Akari's grandmother died, and is now alone, but soon all of the bachelors from Waffle Island comes and has to live with her! Akari and Chase met in the past, but they never remembered it. With competition for Akari's heart, will Chase, the childhood friend, win her heart?

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Chapter 1- Her Will

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Akari's pov-

I felt a light, cool breeze blow on my face. My tear stained eyes slowly opened; a slight head ache came in reaction to the bright sunlight that shined from my window. I slowly rose up from my bed. Looking at myself, I noticed that I was still in my mourning dress, and my chocolate brown hair in a mess. A long sleeved, and a see-through neck to shoulder portion dress was still worn on me. My black hat with a see-through veil around it was on my night stand, and my low black heels on the floor. I grabbed a brush to straighten my hair as I thought of the memory.

I recalled yesterday, my grandmother, my only family member, had pasted away. My grandmother was a wealthy person, and was always kind to me, but I left to become a farmer on a place called Waffle Island.

When I left, I left at a bad time. During the boat trip to the island, I got a call from the local hospital that my grandmother was in a critical condition. I returned quickly just in time when she was on her death bed. She told me that a farm was built just for me, right by the mansion, because I wanted to be a farmer. After the funeral, they voiced out her will, in which gained me the mansion, the farm, and the money. I never got to go to Waffle Island.

The loud door bell rung through my ears, and interrupted my thoughts. I slowly got up from the bed, and made my way down the long line of stairs towards the large, two door way gate. In front of me was a bunch of men around my age range. My eyes became round n complete confusion.

"May I help you?" I asked the large group. A man with platinum like hair with a cow lick, like mine, at the top of it answered.

"Yes, we are the people your grandmother hired to help you." He answered.

This guy seemed to be the intelligent type. He was very clean, he looked like someone of the high classed with mostly combed down hair, and icy blue eyes. A dark blue, long sleeved dress shirt, and a dark purple tie was under a pure white buttoned vest, and a fancy brooch on the left hand side of the white vest. White dress pants and shoes were worn to match.

"Huh?" I questioned.

"We are the people that used to work in Waffle Island. Your grandmother hired us to take care of you once you get there, but once we heard the news about her death, we came here." A man with long black hair tied back, and wearing a lab coat answered that time.

This man seemed professional looking, with a sharp unchanging look. His clothes under his lab coat had a Chinese based style. He also looked Asian with cold stony eyes, and glasses to add the sophisticated look.

"I'm confused. My grandmother didn't tell me anything about you guys." I eyes still round in absolute confusion.

"Well darling, maybe this will clear it up." Another man with long hair, but purple this time, rummaged through his pockets for whatever he was looking for. I took a good look at him, to make sure that, that _he _wasn't a _she_.

That _man, _I'm guessing, had purple hair with green, yellow, and red highlights here and there, and was wearing heart shaped earrings. He had ruby red eyes, and… I'm guessing eye shadow, and wore a purple striped dress shirt, a sleeve-less cape, and red designer jeans, with, what I think, platform shoes. After examining him, I was mostly sure that it was a male, much to my discomfort.

"Ah! Here it is!" The purple haired man exclaimed, and pulled out an envelope. He handed it to me, and I slowly opened it. I unfolded the letter inside of it and started reading.

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_Dear Hamilton,_

_I am aware that my Grandchild, Akari, is coming to your island. As I'm a rather wealthy person, I would like for you to pick the people who will be in charge of her. I want my dear grandchild to be safe all the time, so I hope that you're a good judge of character. _

_My death is nearing, so if you receive a phone call, I am on my death bed at that point. If that happens, there is a map inside of this envelope on how to get to my mansion from the dock. Akari must be in there at that time. Thank you for hearing this out, and I wish you a good day._

_Sincerely,_

_Claire Robinson_

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My eyes widened from reading this. My own grandmother planed a bunch of people to babysit me for my whole life! Why? My right eye twitched in irritation. That's when I noticed another piece of paper inside of the envelope. I took it out and opened it.

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_Dear Akari,_

_This letter is for you my dear grandchild. These people are going to take care of you, and there is more than enough room inside of that mansion, so I want you to treat them with kindness too. For me please. _

_The crest of our family is inside of your nightstand's drawer, it's a locket in shape of a heart, with the designs of the east dragon. I want you to take care of it well, alright? Thank you my sweet child. I wish you a blissful life._

_Love,_

_Victoria_

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My grandmother used her nickname for this letter. That made me smile. I turned to the group of men, though I question why they're all male…

"Well… That's cleared up then. How about we introduce ourselves?" I held out my hand. "Hello, my name is Akari, and by the letter, you the ones who will take care of me." Te other men nodded and all of us were introduced. The platinum haired one started first.

"Yes, good day. My name is Gill, I'm the mayor's son, and my job is to make sure that you are keeping up your studies." I gave a bow in recognition.

Next a rambunctious looking boy with blue hair pulled down by a bandana on his head came next.

"Hey! I'm Luke! My job is to make any repairs or furniture for this mansion." Luke held out for a shake. I shook his hand.

He wore fingerless gloves, and his attire told me that outside work is his specialty. His bandana was white with blue flames from the front. He wore a red T-shirt with a green and black jacket with the sleeves rolled up. He wore… what it seems to be a tool belt, and blue jeans with them. He also had knee long boots, but most of the top buttons were not on, so the boot's button sides were hanging down to the actual shoe portion. He contained a large smile that seemed contagious, and piercing amber eyes, much like a cat's, and to complete to look, he had a bandage on his nose, making him look like a reckless person.

After Luke, the woman like, purple haired man came to introduce himself.

"Hello darling~! My name is Julius, and my job is to get you to wear much better clothes!" Julius welcomed me with a hug. He must be from America… The next man was an odd one, I mean Julius was odd, but this one was odd in a different way.

He had Silver hair, and one portion of it braided on the left side. His hair covered the right side, but as I look closely, his other eye was a different color than his right eye! Trying not to be rude, I ignored it. Then I also noticed a white tattoo over his tan skin. It was right under the discolored eye.

"Hello…I'm Wizard…Astrology…" His introduction was short, I then wondered if he can actually speak, or if he's just not much of a talker.

What he was wearing was quite interesting. He wore a black shirt under his purple cape, where the ends come off in points. He had white pants with a colored like zigzag pattern at the end of them, where his black boots with points started. He also wore some accessories, but not like the ones on Julius, but like the ones that give off a mystic vibe. He had a few piercings on his ears, and necklaces with odd stones that seems to give off power, though I didn't mind, by this, I guess I found out why he's called Wizard… but it makes me wonder if he has a real name.

The next one also had silver hair, but gives off a pale blue hue. He looks relaxed, like a person without a care in the world. His eyes were closed shut, but it seems like he can see though them… hmm… odd.

"Hi. My name's Toby. I'm here to help you learn how to fish and enjoy the outdoors." Toby, right? He seems really relaxed!

He wore a blue long sleeved shirt with a dark blue jacket with white stripes at the end. There was a straw hat hanging on his back, and fishermen's pants and boots to finish off the relaxed style. The next man was quite the body builder.

"Hey, my name's Owen. I heard that there were mines in these areas, and my job is to look after you if you ever go in there." Owen was really a muscular man.

He wore a black shirt, which shapes around his body and a light brown jacket over it. He wore dark green pants and what seem to be miner shoes. He had red hair, and rock gray eyes. He seemed like a kind person, you know, like a gentle giant.

The next man looked like a foreigner. He had dirty blondish hair with a brown hat that has a tightening string on his head, and his eyes were a sky blue color. He wore a white button up shirt with the top half unbuttoned. Over that shirt, he had on a brown wool jacket, and tan pants, covering the top of his hiking shoes. This man gave off an outdoor vibe, and yet gave off a kind understanding feeling, if that makes any sense…

"Hello, my name's Calvin, my specialty is exploring. I heard that the woods are close by, so I'm to go with you if you ever go in there." Calvin held out his hand, and I shook it in response. The one with the lab coat came next.

"My name's Jin, I am to be your doctor to ensure that whatever you're doing is not completely reckless." I then bowed in welcome. He must be very serious about his work…

Another man came by, and he had dark brown hair, crowning his face. He too, had a cowlick much like mine. He had on white gloves and a light blue long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had baggy like jeans and brown shoes at the bottom.

"Hi, my name's Kevin, I used to be a farmer, and I'm here to help you with your farm work." Kevin held out his hand with a cheerful smile. I shook it in response.

The last guy there was a peach haired one. He had hair clips on the right side of his head, but other than that one flattened part, his hair curled in many directions. He wore a black dress shirt, the cuff parts unbuttoned and pulled upwards. He had a purple apron over the shirt, the apron had a small white design at the bottom left corner. He also had on regular blue jeans and sandals. My eyes followed back on his face. His eyes were a striking purple. Just looking at him, he seemed familiar…

"Name's Chase. I'm the chef." Chase gave a very short introduction, and I gave a nod in understanding.

"Well… introductions are finished. Let's go inside then." I opened the gate wide enough, and the ten men came inside the mansion. I looked around the mansion and recalled that at the bottom floor had a very large living room, and the other half was the kitchen. I guided them up the stairs to show them to their rooms. Every room was a master bedroom, and the top floor had just enough.

After everyone was shown to their rooms, Chase and I were the only ones left. Before he left to his room, I stopped him.

"Hey, Chase… Have we met before?" I quietly asked.

"I don't recall ever meeting before except just this morning." Chase answered in a bored tone. I gave a small apology, and he left to his room. I made my way back to my own room, and it seems like I'm not about to get much time alone. Outside or inside. My head started to hurt in thinking of all the studying, and having another pair of eyes looking out for me once I step outside.

I made my way to my balcony, and looked up to the early afternoon's sky. The cool breeze calmed me a little bit, feeling relieved that I still have my own privacy. O dear grandmother… What mess have you gotten me into?

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Hope you like it so far! Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2 Starting

Since I started this story, I have to switch from _Cowboys and Rancher girls_ to this one. For those of you who had tried to read both that one and this one, I thank you! I'll try to update more on this story for those who like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for this story. All characters are of official property of Natsume productions.

Now enough of me talking! On to the story!

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Chapter 2: Starting-

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Akari's pov-

I must've fallen asleep after the introductions, because I slowly woke up to see that it was already morning. I sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I looked around again, and noticed that I was still in my black mourning dress! I've gotta change right now!

I jumped off of bed and opened my drawers. I quickly took out my red tank top, and pulled my light green mini dress over it. I got on my blue knee-length jean shorts, my tan boots, and my white gloves, ready to start on my new farm. I then remembered the letter my grandmother left me. It was about a locket right? I walked to my nightstand and opened the top drawer.

Inside of the drawer was a small glass container. The container shape was like a diamond, light shining and dancing around the figure. There was a small line that parts the shape and I stuck my finger between the lines. I lifted upwards, and what it revealed was a gold and silver locket.

The locket was on a small pillow case, the velvet color very fitting to the container. The locket was a perfect heart shape, the figure just a little larger than a size of a quarter. The heart was made of beautiful silver, my reflection clearly visible in it. As I look closely, there was a pure golden outline and details of the east dragon.

I carefully pulled out the locket, thinking it was about to break and fall apart in my hands if I pulled any harder. Once it was completely out, I noticed that the chain was also made of pure silver. I unlocked the locket, and a small note folded many times fell out. With the locket still in my hands, I bent down and picked up the note. I unfolded it and read the words written inside of it.

_Dear Akari,_

_If you found this note, you must've found the locket already too. I was planning to give this to you on your birthday, but it seems my time has run out. Inside of the locket is a picture of your parents, I know you missed them very much. From this I only wished I was a better grandmother for you, and for that, I am sorry. I'll be watching you with your parents, and may your life will be full of miracles. _

_I'll miss you._

_Love,_

_Victoria_

Teardrops started forming in my eyes. I looked over my parents, their smiling faces facing me. Drops fell, and splashed on their pictures, as I once again read the letter, over and over. I gave small whispers of thanks, hoping that those words will reach them.

Some knocks on my door made me froze to that spot. I quickly wiped my tears away from my face, checked the mirror if I look red or anything, and looked at my digital clock.

_7:02 am_

Whoa! High time to go! I folded up the letter and placed both the letter and the locket back into the diamond shaped case. I carefully placed it back inside of the drawer and closed it.

"Coming!" I yelled to whoever is on the other side of my door. I quickly opened the door in which revealed Chase; his hand was in position to of about to open the door himself. He pulled his hand back down and started speaking.

"I just wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready. And as soon as you finish, Kevin wanted me to tell you that you need to start on your farm. Here's a small tool bag so that you can start." Chase seemed to have been a bit annoyed at the last part. I nodded in understanding, and clicked the belt on. I followed Chase down the stairs to the large kitchen table. Nobody else was there, and there were only two plates with food on the table. I gave a questioning look to Chase, as to where everyone else was, Chase closed his eyes in irritation and understanding.

"Everyone else already finished, because everyone had to get up at 6 o'clock sharp. I was the one who prepared the food, so I was about to eat, until the others asked that I go up and get you." Chase had a few popped veins here and there. I bowed in apology, but Chase just waved it off. Chase made his way to his chair and started eating. I followed.

In front of me was a plate full of pancakes with blueberries and strawberries on the side. I cut out a small piece and slipped it inside of my mouth. The light cake mixed with rich thick maple syrup's aroma filled my mouth. This taste was very familiar; it somehow brought me back to the past when my parents and that boy were still there. This was the same taste of the day my parents died and that boy disappeared after their funeral. I never forgot that boy, but his name slipped my mind. I missed those days so much. There were no worries in the world, and life was easy, but now, my family is now dead, and I'm the last survivor of them. My way of living is now with these boys and the inheritance money, and the only way to earn money is to work on the farm and forage for some items to sell. I kept eating in a daze until the last bite was gone. I looked down at my now empty plate, picked it up and made my way to the sink.

"Thank you for the food, it was delicious." I complemented, Chase just gave a nod in acknowledgment. I exited through the back door, the farm was located there. Kevin was standing over the farm area with a hoe in his hands. Kevin pulled the hoe over his shoulder, and turned his head my way. Kevin gave a light smile and waved to me to come over. I walked over the fertilized soil to stand by him. Kevin started speaking.

"Akari, today we're going to go over on how you'll take care of your own farm. Here's a hoe." Kevin handed the hoe to me, and once he let it go, the hoe was surprisingly heavy and I started to fall forwards from the sudden release of weight. Kevin gave a small 'oh' when I collided with him, the hoe still in my unsteady hands. Kevin gave a light laugh, his hands placed on my shoulders to steady me. My face was slightly covered by a pink blush; Kevin patted me on the head and kneeled down a few inches to meet my eyes.

"Sorry, I guess I should've warned you that these tools are really heavy, it'll take a while to get used it." Kevin assured. I gave a nod, the blush still on my face.

My arms were shaking in trying to hold on to the heavy hoe. Before I knew it, Kevin came up behind me and covered my hands with his much larger ones, helping me hold onto the hoe. Again came my blush, brighter than the last one. I looked over my shoulder to Kevin, he had a calming smile on, and I smiled back.

"Alright then, to work the hoe, you need to lift it up," Kevin helped me lift the hoe, his hands still on mine, "and swing it downwards to the ground, then you pull down again to till the land." Kevin swing down the hoe and pulled, causing a tilled area on the ground.

Everything was much easier when he helped me, and my blush was on my face the whole time. Kevin helped me with my lessons, and made everything so easy. Maybe my grandmother was right when I needed help with this stuff; it made it much easier to understand I know that.

The day ended with Kevin helping me the whole time on that farm. We tilled in one patch of turnip seeds, since they were the easiest crops to raise. After just one patch of seeds, I was exhausted. My arms were aching from lifting that heavy hoe **and **watering can. My legs hurt from walking around the farm so much to remove weeds, but as I reviewed over the farm, I was satisfied from the result, I lightly smiled from my succession even though Kevin helped me with most of it. I entered the mansion, and met Chase halfway up the stairs.

"Whoa! This is just your first day! Even new timers don't get that roughed up in their first day! How are you a wreck in such a short amount of time?" Chase's expression was a completely shocked one; slowly backing away back up the stairs to avoid the dirty, mud covered me.

I looked over myself. It was true, I was a mess. Almost half of my mini dress was covered in mud, and my used-to-be pure white gloves were dulled down into slightly ripped and filthy ones. My knee-length jean shorts had small rips, and my bare bottom portion of my legs had dirt all over them. My face had some dirt, and my hair was a rat-nested mess, and my exhaustion matched. I gave a laugh in embarrassment and scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah… Farming is hard work, and apparently I'm don't have a natural gift for it... I'll go take a bath." I quickly walked up the rest of the stairs and made it to my room. I closed the door and opened my bathroom door. I turned on the faucet and quickly removed my filthy garments. I entered the bathtub and felt the comforting heat cover my body. I dunked my head down for it to come in contact with the water. My now soaked hair stuck to my neck, the cow lick finally down from the weight of the water. I sat back and relaxed in the hypnotizing temperature, and became lost in my own memories.

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I remembered warm heat of welcome from my parents. Me and my parents were very happy together, nothing ever broke us down. Then that day I remember _him…_

_~Flashback~_

_It was a very rainy day, that's when I met him. I was still in elementary school, and it was raining heavily that day. I was walking home with my umbrella, and pasted by the alleyway on the way. There was a boy, a little older than me, I was about 6, and he seems to be around the age of 11. _

_He was in tattered clothes, grey and worn down. He looked lonely and without a home. My curiosity got the better of me, and I walked over to him. The boy was pelted by the rain, and he looked on the verge of catching a cold. I was in a rain coat with my hat on, so I tilted the umbrella over him, keeping him from being pelted by the rain at the meantime. The boy looked up, and his eyes widened from seeing me, I smiled in response. I reach out my hand, giving a reassuring smile, a smile saying that I'll help him. The boy was still skeptical, probably finding it odd that a 6-year-old girl is helping an 11-year-old boy._

_The boy slowly took my hand, giving a smile in return. My smile widened from his reaction, as he slowly stood up, took my umbrella and stood by me, our hands still connected. He positioned the umbrella to cover both of us, and we made our way home._

_My parents are very loving people, and so once they saw me and the boy, they rushed over to help me and the boy who was about to faint from his fever. He was passed out for a while then, and when he woke up, my parents got food and medicine ready for him. I stayed by him the whole time, glad that he was feeling better._

_Ever since then, the four of us were inseparable. The boy made amazing food, and treated me like he was my older brother and I was his younger sister. It was nice to have someone like him to take care of me sometimes, I was an only child, and so he was a kind person, who I trust as a brother. I remember the food I loved to eat, and only his cooking was my favorite. The light taste of pancakes, the thick, rich syrup, and the fruit on the side, the taste was heavenly. I always ate it, and it was his that I only ate. We were the perfect siblings, and with my parents, we were the perfect family, at least until that day._

_A wind storm was up. My parents had an important meeting; we weren't rich of nothing you know. They had to be there, and so once they left, they never came back. They were driving on the side of a mountain, and the wind storm covered their way, so they drove right over the railing, crashing at the lower region of the mountain. Then on their funeral, the boy, the one I loved, the one that was like a true brother, just up and left. After that, I lived with my grandmother up till now._

_~End of Flashback~_

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I missed those days. I walked out of my bathtub, and listened to the draining and gurgling sounds of the drain while I started to dry off. I quickly slipped on my nightgown, and made my way down the stairs to the kitchen to eat dinner. Everyone was there, already eating. Dinner was quite lively I must say. These guys weren't all business, well, most of them. Jin and Wizard were eating their dinner in complete silence, though it was easy to tell that Jin was trying his best not to yell at everyone at the table. Wizard was as dull as ever.

It was quite loud, and Luke was the main cause of it. He was yelling at the top of his lungs, and Gill was ready to bite his head off. Many popped veins appeared on Gill's head, trying his very best not to come into the riot. Chase was laughing quite a bit, while Owen joined in Luke's antics. Kevin was enjoying the show of their odd interactions, Julius lightly laughed, and Toby still carried the look of indifference. Calvin saw me just standing there, and waved his hand for me to join them. I gave a small smile and sat in the seat between Toby and Kevin.

"And so I threw the chunk of lumber I just chopped at Bo, and he fell backwards into the lake! After that…" I closed off the sound, and looked at my plate. My plate was filled with a large steak with sauce on the side. I picked up my knife and made my way trough the steak. The steak was medium rare, and as I dipped it in the sauce, a loud bang rang through my ears. I quickly looked up, but all it was, was Luke falling backwards in complete laughter, about to die from it. Luke popped upwards and sat back on his chair. That was odd…

I turned back to my plate and placed the piece of well seasoned steak into my mouth. The food was amazing. The piece of steak slowly melted in my mouth, and the smoky flavor mixed with the perfect amount of seasoning filled my mouth. The meat was tender and truly makes you feel like you were in heaven. This style of cooking reminded me of the pancakes Chase made this morning. I smiled in the mesmerizing flavor.

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Dinner quickly ended with laughs coming from almost everyone. Only three people kept quiet. I'm sure you can guess who. I left the kitchen and ran up the stairs into my room. I got to my nightstand and opened the drawer with the diamond container.

I took out the heart shaped locket, and unhooked the chain to ring it around my neck. I hooked it back on and looked into my full body mirror. The locket shined with a heavenly glow, and the colors were clearly showed, even in the dull light of my room. I slid the locket under my dress to hide it from the outside. I walked out of my balcony to gaze into the late sunset. A light knock came to my door; I quickly exited my balcony to my door. I cracked it open to see who it is. There was Gill.

"Akari, tomorrow we'll work on your studies, it's best to keep your knowledge up to date." He sated with importance. I nodded, and closed the door after the short conversation was over. It was starting to get late, and slipped in bed. Ready for whatever god is going to throw at me.

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I hope you like the story so far~ Get ready for he next chapter! ^w^


	3. Chapter 3 Knowledge

This is the next chapter for Living with them! Thank you for those who have reviewed me! I do hope I get more reviews soon, but the people enjoying my story right now already makes my day! ^w^

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for this story. All Harvest Moon characters belong to their rightful owners from Natsume productions.

Enjoy the story~

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Chapter 3: Knowledge

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Akari's pov-

I quickly changed out of my work clothes to my school uniform. I had to wake up at six sharp to water my plants on the farm, and Gill did say that these clothes are unsuitable for learning. I got on my school uniform, and tied the knot for the red ribbon around the neck line. I checked over myself.

My uniform was a simple blue uniform with your average mini skirts and sailor-like shirt. The dark blue collar with a white stripe perfectly fitted around my neck. The red ribbon was tied in a neat knot right under the collar. I quickly fixed my blue cuffs to a perfect fold, and smoothed out my skirt in case of any wrinkles. I then slipped on my school shoes, simple, tan, easy slip-ons. I was surprised. My High School uniform still fits me. I looked at my small wall clock.

_7:56 am_

AHH! I'll be late! The teaching starts at 8! I dashed out of my room and fast-walked down the stairs as fast I could. I looked over the railing of the long stairs and saw Gill sitting in the living room, a pile of books on the table in front of him. I broke in a cold sweat in thinking that we'll have to go over all of this, I mean, I was a pretty successful student at school, but having to go over all of this is a bit unnerving…

Gill looked up from the books to me. He examined over my uniform, seeing if it was a suitable outfit. Gill gave a small sigh and beckoned me to sit on the couch near him.

"You almost didn't make it." Gill stated. I took a quick glance at the grandfather clock we had, but before I turned my head, a large gong went off in the clock, announcing that it was 8. Gill looked over to me. "Nevertheless, you're here now, so let's get started now, shall we?" Gill gave another blank statement.

I gave a small nod and took my place beside him on the couch. "Right, well today we'll do a little algebra. Try answering this problem: what is the answer to X * 13= ? if 15 * X= 90?" I was fidgeting in my seat, still giving off a cold sweat. I was kinda scared on what will happen if I get it wrong.

Gill saw me fidgeting nervously; he raised his hand up to my shoulder and gave a light pat, and a reassuring smile. "Calm down. It's okay if you get it wrong, we can go to an easier question if we need to." Gill said in a calming voice. A hint of a blush was on my cheeks, as I stared back into his eyes and gave a smile. After a few seconds, Gill realized what he had just said and gained a blush of his own.

"I can answer this question. Let me think…" I said in a shy voice, the blush still faint on my face. "The answer is… 6, right?" I asked. Gill gave a nod, signaling that I was right, and now controlled his face, again giving a business-like aura, but it was toned down a bit.

Ever since we stared with that question, we've been answering many questions, a few laughs we're shared, but smiles were always shown. Gill is a very kind person once you get under the cold exterior, because this learning lesson was actually something very fun with him. In fact, before we knew it, it was already time for lunch after all the problems we did.

Chase called out to everyone that lunch was ready. Everyone gathered at the table, and came again the loud show that Luke was going to continue ever since last night. I decided that I was in no mood to get my ears blasted off by him, so I block off all noises and concentrated on only eating, finishing, and going back to work.

After lunch, I finally returned into the blissful world of silence, studying with Gill. After a few more minutes of studying, Gill ended the lesson with a praise that I did well. I smiled from his complement and gave a 'thank you' in return.

"Right, well that concludes our lesson today. Your next one will be in a few weeks, because you schedule will be very tight in having to take care of the farm and such." Gill explained. I gave a nod and stayed in the living room while Gill walked up the stairs to do some reading. I was left with nothing to do.

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I then heard a few clanks from the kitchen. I fast-walked my way to the door of the kitchen and cracked open the door. There was Chase, starting to cook dinner I was guessing. Chase took out some ingredients, and exotic spices on to the cooking counter. Chase looked like he was in a rush, and I casually entered the kitchen.

At the sound of my footsteps on the marble floor, Chase stopped his wild process of looking and preparing, and looked up at me. I gave a small giggle the way he stopped, a whisk in hand and a bowl stacked on a box of eggs, and he was still in mid-step.

"You look like you need help" I giggled, his face still confused from my out-of-the-blue offer. Chase then looked at himself, and the ingredients on the counter, and after a few seconds of realizing what I meant, he gave a light blush of embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah. I'd like some help." Chase stammered. I gave another small giggle, and walked over to him. I took the bowl and eggs in his left hand and made my way to the counter full of cooking wares and spices.

"Making dinner for a lot of people all at the same time gets a bit tiring after a while." Chase sighed. "Well, back to the matter at hand. I was going to vegetable curry for them, but I can't seem to find the right spices." Again Chase gave a sigh. "You see, this place has a lot of spices, so the ones I've been looking for was cumin seed, fenugreek, corian-"

"Coriander seed, fennel seed, black mustered seed, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground cardamom, and cayenne pepper, right?" I cut him off, reciting the spices in my head. Chase looked rather surprised that I knew such rare and exotic spices. I gave a smile.

"I heard of those before, and I heard that those were the best spices for vegetable curry." I explained to the flabbergasted Chase. Chase shook his head to rid of his weird face, and gave a nod that I was right. I gave another giggle at how funny Chase really was.

"Y-Yeah, that's right, and since you know them, you know where they are, right?" said an eagerly Chase. I gave a nod and walked to the cabinets where extra spices were held. I opened them and took out the labeled spices. I gave a small sniff of each, making sure that those are the correct ones, in case of possible mislabeling. I gave a satisfied nod, and handed the spices to Chase. Chase returned the nod, and walked to the counter to start cooking.

Chase started to pour the mild curry powder inside of the large tin bowl, and put in coconut milk. He started to mix the two carefully, and waved his hand at me to help him put in the spices. On signal I placed in the spices in one by one, and soon the spices were mixed completely together.

_This was very familiar. Like back then._

I walked to the already chopped vegetables and mixed them together on the pan to sauté them. Chase poured the spiced curry into a large pot, and I poured the sautéed vegetables with them. Now for the finishing touches, Chase handed me the fried onion and garlic to mix them with the curry. I sprinkled the onion and garlic on top of the curry, and started mixing with the large ladle inside the pot. After a few minutes of mixing, I poured some of the curry inside of two small tasting plates, and handed one to Chase.

I tasted the curry at the same time Chase did, and the taste was no short from amazing. The flavors complemented each other, and the heavenly taste spreads around your mouth. The spices created the correct touches, and the vegetable's flavor came around the curry. I looked at Chase, and he returned the look, we both gave nods at each other, agreeing that it tastes great.

* * *

Both Chase and I walked into the dining hall to serve the food. I took my own seat once everyone was served. Dinner went on as loudly as ever, I wonder when Luke ever shuts up. I was sitting by Wizard this time, and jumped in surprise when he spoke to me.

"Tomorrow… Astrology…" Wizard plainly stated. I gave a surprised nod, and returned to the food.

I returned to my room, satisfied from the delicious food, and slipped into bed. I took out my locket and examined the beauty of it. I became lost in the past again.

_~Flashback~_

"_Hey Akari! Look at the different spices here!" Said the familiar, yet unfamiliar boy._

"_Ehhhhh…" I sighed in awe. The boy gave a smile, and recited the same spices here for a vegetable curry he like making. I wrote down the same spices, wanting to learn how to make it some day. I wrote many recipes from him, wanting to make something that I know he will like. I wanted him to know that I can be a good cook too, but that recipe was the last one before he left._

_~End of Flashback~_

I wanted to do so much, yet he left before I got to make him anything he would like. I hardly remembered him, all I knew was that he was five years older than me, he was a great cook, and he always had the strong fragrance of oranges… I gave a shrug and closed my eyes for sleep, looking not so very forward for the next day.

* * *

I hope you like the story so far! I hope you stay for the next Chapter, and also sorry that I wasn't making much update for those who read and reviewed it. I promise to make more chapters! ^w^


	4. Chapter 4 Hint

I hope this story is alright with you so far. ^_^

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story. All Harvest Moon Characters belong to Natsume Productions, right?

Enjoy~

* * *

Chapter 4: Hint

* * *

Akari's pov-

My gloved hand instinctively moved upwards to my forehead to wipe off the beads of sweat forming on my face. I looked up to the sky with the same hand shielding my eyes from the sun. With a light pant, I dropped the twenty pound hoe behind me. I dropped down to the ground with a 'thump'. I raised my head up to let the cool spring breeze go through my face.

The fourth day of spring and the fourth day of living with the men finally came by. For about a few hours today, I tilled in a few more patches of turnips, seeing as there wasn't very much to do at the time being. Wizard did tell me that the lesson was tonight; as I thought it was in the morning. I recalled what just happened in the morning-

* * *

_~Flashback~_

_I hurriedly speed-walked to Wizard's room, still a little worried that I have to learn about astrology as I knew nothing about it. I stopped at the entrance of his room and gave out a few small but firm knocks. I waited for the door to open, but nothing came by. I patiently waited for a minute longer, and heard a *click* come from the door._

_In front of me was Wizard, but it seems that he probably just woke up from sleep. Now Wizard didn't have a bed head, but it seems like the braided part of his hair was undone and now was a long trail of silver down to his neck. Wizard's garments also told me that he just left a bed. The clothes he was wearing was only a black T-shirt and sweats. I gave out a confused look at the unprepared man, as he gave a plain look with a small hint of confusion himself. I decided to speak first._

"_Umm… The lesson… It's today, right?" I asked with my head tilted in confusion. Wizard then gave a hardly noticeable sigh, looks like he understands what I mean._

"_At…Night…" Wizard stated. I gave out an embarrassed 'Oh' and scratched the back of my head with a lopsided grin. I gave a deep bow to apologize and turned away to make myself useful at the time being. Once I started walking away another *click* came through the hallway to signal that the Wizard closed his door._

_I quickly made my way down the stairs to meet up with Kevin. Kevin gave a smile to say hello and he started to make his way outside; that's when I stopped him._

"_Kevin… I don't really have much to do at the moment, so... uhh… can I get some more turnip seeds and work on the farm some more?" I asked, hoping for a yes._

_Kevin gave a surprised stare and gave a nod. I nodded back in thanks and happiness. Kevin dug in his pockets and pulled out a few bags of turnip seeds and handed them to me. I quickly made my way outside and started my work._

_~End of Flashback~_

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes up again to stare at the sky some more. The clouds wisped around the bright sky blue atmosphere and the sun brightened the settings of day. My breathing has now finally calmed down and I released a satisfied sigh from the cool breeze that whistled in my ears.

While I was busy staring at the sky, I felt a cold, wet sensation come on my cheek. I gave out a surprised gasp as I felt droplets sliding from my cheek. I turned around to where the sensation came from and found Chase holding two cans of coke. Chase gave an amused smile and held the cans of coke up to my seeing range.

"Hey, I thought you needed something to cool you down, it wasn't easy to get your attention though, I thought you fell asleep." Chase grinned. I looked back at him with my eyes widened slightly.

After a few seconds of just staring at each other, I gave out a small giggle at the odd silence.

"Thanks. I didn't have much to do at the time so I decided to just work on the farm; it seems I went overboard just a bit." I gave a smile to Chase as I took the can of coke. I popped the tab open and started drinking the fizzing liquid as I looked over my farm.

All of the weeds, branches, and rocks have been removed from the farmland, now only revealing the patches of seeds I planted. The patches of turnip seeds almost filled half of the farm, and by count, it seems that I planted about five squares of those seeds. I reviewed my farm once more, satisfied with my work.

* * *

After us both finished our drinks I quickly checked over my watch.

_6:45 pm_

Ahh… It's getting late… I looked over to Chase, knowing that at this time he should be getting dinner ready.

"Whoa! It's already this late? Sorry Akari gotta go!" exclaimed Chase. I gave a small nod, but he already left before I gave out an answer. Since Chase was going to start dinner, I ran into the mansion and quickly made my way up the stairs to my room.

Once I got to my room, I changed into a new outfit to get prepared for both the lesson and dinner. I pulled on a black T-shirt and knee-length jeans; I quickly combed my hair down to a presentable look, and finally made my way down the stairs to the kitchen where the smell of freshly cooked food was wafting around the whole house. As soon as I entered the dinning room, loud sounds and laughs echoed in my ears. The all too familiar scene with Luke was starting all over again.

I walked over to the closest chair I could find and sat down. I picked up the water that was in front of me and took a few sips, my ears listening on what Luke was going to talk about this time.

"After that, Bo jumped on my back and slammed the same chunk of wood I threw at him, and then we both fell backwards into the lake _again_!" shouted Luke, his hands waving all around showing the story with symbols. From the loud noises, I gave out a sigh, it seems like Luke loves to exaggerate things, huh?

Luke's little story was interrupted by the sound of the kitchen's doors opening. Out came Chase, a rolling cart with dishes on top with him. One by one, the dishes came by and placed in front of everyone, and the dish tonight was spaghetti, a very well made one at that.

As I took a closer look at the spaghetti, the spices were carefully sprinkled on top and the sauce was placed at a very precise position on the noodles. My eyes widened as the food looked like art itself. It was made so beautifully that I wasn't sure if I really wanted to eat it, more so being that I just wanted to stare at it. Nevertheless, I lifted up the fork and started to slowly spin up the spaghetti on the fork. Everyone else had already started eating as it was very obvious when Julius complemented on how well it was presented and Luke making chewing sounds when he took a mouthful of pasta. I lifted up the fork and slowly placed it inside of my mouth.

The taste was very comforting, giving a warm wave of heat all around my mouth and the faint sweetness of the sauce dancing around, and melting from the thickness of the noodles created a wonderful melody in your mouth. Then as the bites became smaller and smaller, I recalled that the taste was unusually familiar the more I had ate it. I feel like I tasted this before, just by tasting it I can recall what spices were used in this, or at least, the spices inside of a recipe I remember.

_This taste… Oregano? I taste both dried and fresh oregano… Roseberry and Basil are in this too…_

My train of thought ceased when I heard clamps of dishes being stacked and Luke letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Wooo~ That was great Chase! Thanks for the food." Luke complemented. I looked up and saw Chase gave a smile and a thankful nod. I looked back down at my plate and realized that every bite was gone from my plate as well. It seems that I was unconsciously eating while I was lost in my thoughts. I placed the fork down on the plate and lifted it up to place it on the cart. I soon gave a bow of thanks for the well made food and started my way to the stairs back up to the rooms. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wizard now going in his room. My face went from a blank one to a curious one.

_I have a lesson with him anyways, so I won't matter if I come there now._ I thought to myself.

While thinking that, I was already moving up the steps to his door. I gave out some knocks and patiently waited for his answer. A *click* was quickly heard afterwards and the door slowly opened. There was Wizard in front of me and was probably expecting my arrival by the books under his arms.

"Come…" Wizard gave out a curt order for me to come inside of his room. I answered with a nod and entered his room, and the first thing that hit me was a strong smell of coffee beans. I looked over at the counter he had and saw a coffee maker with a bag full of coffee beans beside it. I'm guessing that he's not much of a night sleeper. I decided to take a look around his room, just curious on where he placed his belongings, but once I took a glace at the whole room itself my eyes slightly widened from the way his room was arranged.

Wizard's room had many things about astrology piled on one side of the room, as the other seems to be a research area with many mystical items placed on a desk. Shelves were filled with books about stars and foreign languages of what it seems to be of chanting spells of some sort. His balcony had a large telescope that was pointed right at the full moon, and lastly was his desk. The desk was covered with threaded beads and a large crystal placed carefully on a scarlet red cushion. The crystal ball was absolutely hypnotizing. The bright sparkles that shine on the ball seem to make out stars and planets, sounds crazy, I know, but the ball was mesmerizing.

I pulled my eyes away from the ball, knowing that there was a reason in being here. I searched around to look for the character of importance of this moment and found him at the balcony beside his telescope. I made my way out to Wizard and tilted my head slightly to question what we were doing. Wizard looked upwards to the sky and I followed his gaze, and from our position, the stars shined brightly with a shine coming off the edges.

I stared at the sky, the shine of the stars reminding me of his crystal ball. The bright white lights illuminated the dark night sky, now the full moon was the largest shine of all of them. I looked back at Wizard again, still in confusion as to why staring up at a bunch of bright stars had anything to do in my studies. He then started to speak.

"Constellations… name them…" a soft statement made its way out of Wizard's mouth. I then gave into a cold sweat, not because of stupidly understanding why we were here, but because I had to name a bunch of constellations when I hardly even know anything about the moon.

"Uuuummmm…." My voice started trailing off, completely lost on what I was supposed to do. I then heard a soft sigh escape Wizard's lips and he walked over to me, opening a book in the process. I looked over at the book from the side and saw that he was on a page of lines connecting into an odd picture that slightly looked like a dipper with a bunch of lines pointing out all around it; information about that picture on the lower portion. I took a closer inspection of the words written on.

* * *

_Ursa Major (Often referred by the Big Dipper) - This constellation holds a group of stars that is often called the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper holds as an easier reference to Ursa Major due to being found rather quickly when searched for. Best found in the Spring time._

_Translation- The Greater Bear_

_Abbreviation- UMa_

* * *

After finishing the small section of information my attention returned to Wizard. Wizard closed the book when he saw that I was finished reading and began to speak.

"Look up… Find this constellation…" Wizard's voice was very calm, and something about that gave me a bit of confidence. I gave a firm nod and stared up at the stars to search for this constellation. After a few seconds of silent searching I finally found the Big Dipper. I gave a wave to Wizard and he handed the book towards me, I turned the pages back to _Ursa Major_ and traced the stars from the book to the real ones. I then gave out a large smile and grabbed Wizard's arm while jumping up and down in joy that I found a constellation.

Tell you the truth, I was never a 'search and finder' person, so the first constellation I found was this one and I kinda feel a bit proud of myself, if you know what I mean.

"I found it! There it is! That's the first constellation I ever found! Thank you so much for helping me!" I ringed out my thanks in a hyper voice, and by then I realized that I got a little too excited, mostly due to me still hugging Wizard's arm in thanks. I pause for a second and quickly let go of Wizard's arm, my face now flushed with the color red as I softly whispered a 'sorry'.

I turned to look at Wizard and noticed that his face held one of the faintest hints of a blush. By that, my blush only became brighter in embarrassment of making him uncomfortable with me, then an awkward silence forms. I made a makeshift plan to get ourselves out of this unusual silence by grabbing his book and blurting out on what we should do now.

"Ahh… Well, let us continue with the lesson! W-what should we search for next?" I nervously tried to change the odd silence into a lesson where we could get somewhere tonight. I flipped the pages frantically, just hoping to find one where we could find at this time of year. I flipped to a random page named _Cancer_. Now that I found the constellation, I waved my hand in a gesture for Wizard to come over and help me find this constellation. I gave out a silence sigh; thankful at Wizard quickly composed himself to his usual quiet, calm character.

* * *

Throughout most of the night, we stayed up with some sips of coffee Wizard made and staring up at the stars, quickly listing their names and constellations. After a few more minutes of stargazing, I took a quickly look at my watch to find out what time it was.

_12: 45 am_

My eyes widened slightly at the time, and was about to gasp at how late it was, but was replaced with a yawn. My eyes soon narrowed in exhaustion and my vision became blurry in the need of sleep for a moment. I raised my hands up to my eyes and rubbed them to get the tiredness out of them, a thought then rose up in my mind.

_If Wizard stays up this late all the time, no wonder he wasn't ready this morning._

Wizard then noticed how sleepy I was and started to guide me out of his room to mine.

"You seem… tired… Get… some sleep…" Wizard whispered, knowing that at this time everyone was most likely asleep.

I gave a sleepy nod and was guided to my room. I entered my room and gave a lazy wave to Wizard when he made his way to his own room, and Wizard returned it with a small raise of the hand.

I came inside of my room and shut the door. I pulled off of my unsuitable clothes for sleep into a plain T-shirt with felt shorts. I didn't even bother to put up my removed articles of clothing as I was absolutely exhausted. Soon I collapsed on my plushy bed, my figure sinking into its softness. A few last thoughts span in my head, now coming back to the taste of the spaghetti that I had for dinner. Even with the strong taste of coffee clinging to my senses I was still able to remember the wonderful taste of the Italian pasta.

The past and the spices, the creator of it were stuck in my mind as well. I felt a vision of that person, the one who made that familiar spaghetti, it felt like that person filled up all of my thoughts, now interfering with my thinking process. That was when I lost myself to the darkness of deep sleep.

* * *

I hope you like this so far~ I'll try to make more updates despite having to move, and thank you to those who took the time to read this. ^_^

My updates will be very slow now that my family has just started moving to an apartment district, but nevertheless, I'll do my very best to make more updates. Updates will most likely be coming in about a week to 2 weeks, very slow, I know, but I'll try to get them in earlier if I can... Again, Thank you to those who reviewed me~ ^_^


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